Santa Rosa Ironman set to run this fall

  • 2020-07-06
Just like its athletes, the Santa Rosa Ironman competition refused to quit in 2020 and will go ahead this fall, despite being rescheduled twice.

Santa Rosa’s Ironman triathlon is California’s only full-length event, where participants are required to swim for 2.4 miles, cycle for 112 miles, and run a marathon of 26.22 miles. 2020 marks the fourth year for the race.

The race has a full slate of contestants. As the only official Ironman race in California, the top 40 finishers will qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona Hawaii.

The race attracts hundreds of athletes and thousands of people from all over the state and the country, and is Santa Rosa’s premier sporting event of the year.

An Ironman Village is set up in the days preceding the event. The village is a communal space for athletes and the public to get race information, purchase race merchandise, and shop at a number of vendors. It is located at 50 Old Courthouse Rd.

Triathlon history is rich in California, dating back to 1974, according to the event website. California now hosts five similar events, but Santa Rosa is the only one with official status.

Athletes are required to swim two loops around Lake Sonoma, then cycle and run through the picturesque winery landscapes of Sonoma County, through the communities of Geyserville and Winsor. Races such as this one require banner printing services for their start and finish lines.

The 2020 Ironman was originally set for May, then moved to July, and is now scheduled for Saturday, October 17.